CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (14 Mar 2002) -- A black market abalone (paua) and spiny lobster operation worth more than $20 million a year and with suspected links to organized crime was smashed yesterday in a series of dawn raids around New Zealand. Nearly 300 fisheries officers, police and Defense Force conducted early morning raids in Auckland, the Bay of Plenty, Poverty Bay, Wellington and Christchurch, seizing half a ton of paua meat, 1000 lobster, $15,000 cash, 16 vehicles and nine boats. Twenty-five out of the 100 people targeted during the raids - including individual poachers, retail shops, restaurants, black-marketeers, exporters and some commercial fishers - had been arrested by 6pm last night. Officials said that the raids, which were the culmination of an 18-month covert operation run by the Ministry of Fisheries, would continue today. The New Zealand blackfoot paua (Haliotis iris) with its spectacular blue/green iridescent shell is unique to this country. Paua's firm flesh is extremely valuable in Asian circles and is central to some of the best Oriental seafood recipes. New Zealand's paua fishery is managed by strict quotas, which allow only a set amount to be taken commercially each year, and only by free-diving. Paua shell was traditionally used by Maori to illuminate the eyes of their carving and artwork. The reddish colored shell were most prized for depicting the flashing red eyes of the warrior. The use of paua shell in all manner of jewelry and sculpture has become a distinctive feature of New Zealand artwork. | | Fisheries officers estimated the amount of paua and crayfish taken by the ring had a commercial value of $20 million a year, posing a significant threat to the industry. "That's on top of the allowable take, on top of recreational, commercial and customary quotas. That's interfering with your right to take paua," Mr. Wood said. New Zealand Seafood Industry Council chairman David Sharp said the operation confirmed a long-held view that big poaching networks were operating independently of legitimate commercial fisheries. "These paua and lobster thieves operate out of total greed and self-interest and their acts impact on us all," he said. National compliance manager Dave Wood said last night that many of the people involved in the ring were Asians based in New Zealand. The ring was believed to have links to "other illegal activity" in New Zealand but he would not say whether it was connected to Triad-style gangs in Asia. Mr. Wood said it was the first time every fishery officer had been mobilized in a single operation. "For a small organization such as ours, this is a very big undertaking," he added. Deliberate illegal fishing attracts penalties of up to $250,000 and five years in prison. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORKSCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba Forum |
